1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to model vehicles, such as model trains, and more particularly, to a coupling mechanism for a model train or other model vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Various model trains and vehicles are known in the art, which model an actual or imaginary train or vehicle at a reduced scale. Many model trains include a model locomotive driven by an engine. The locomotive is constructed to run on a model railway track. Various types of model tracks may be provided for different kinds of trains. For many trains, a hobbyist may obtain short segments or sections of pre-assembled model track. Track sections may include, for example, straight sections, curve sections having various radii, switches, and junctions. The track sections may be assembled and combined in various ways to construct a model track layout. Various model cars without engines are also available, which may be connected in various ways with one or more model locomotives to form trains.
Model train cars may be coupled together to form a model train using various coupling mechanisms. For instance, drawbar connectors, c-shaped connectors (knuckle couplers), and ball and hitch connectors may be used to connect adjacent train cars together. Some such couplings are generally reliable and easy to couple and decouple. Some obtain higher levels of realism than others. Notwithstanding their advantages, however, couplings for model train cars may be subject to certain disadvantages. In conventional coupling arrangements, the movement of the coupling member in both directions may be limited by the outer structure of the train car. For example, when a train encounters a curve in a model track, the coupling member associated with that train car moves in the direction of the curve. If the radius of the curve is too small, the coupling member may come into contact with the structure of its connected train car. In other words, the range of travel of the coupling member is physically limited by the rigid structure of the train car. A greater range of rotation may be achieved by increasing the length of the coupling drawbar, but this may cause the train cars to be coupled too far away from one another, lending to unrealistic appearance to the train as a whole.
The turning radius of the train may therefore be limited by the coupling member. Model train hobbyists may therefore be limited in their selection of track, and may not be able to construct layouts having curves that have a desired tightness in radius. Large-radius curves, in turn, may disadvantageously require a larger number of track sections to construct, and may cause a track layout to occupy more space than desired. In addition, the constraints imposed by prior-art coupling mechanisms may increase the chance of derailment of the train car, particularly when the train is moving at a relatively high speed.
Accordingly, a need exists for a model train with an improved coupling mechanism that overcomes these and other limitations of the prior art.